Leap of Faith
by TamIsMyFather
Summary: Mike is determined to find out why Donna keeps leaping off of buildings, and exactly where those haystacks are coming from. Written for a prompt on the Suits meme.
1. Chapter 1

**Written for a prompt on the Suits meme by whatisthismeow: "Donna + Mike, Assassin's Creed AU: I keep getting the image of Donna getting the novice Mike to do a Leap of Faith."**

* * *

><p><p>

Mike first noticed on a Wednesday.

He'd skipped breakfast that morning, and he'd spent his first five hours at work finishing a project for Harvey, so when he finally finished dotting the last _i_ and crossing the last _t_ all he could think about was rushing out of Harvey's office as fast as he could in his quest for food. He'd waved to Donna, hurried to the elevator, shot outside, and got in line at the nearest hotdog stand—behind Donna, who, judging by the three people after her, had been there for several minutes at least.

"What—" Mike spluttered. "How did you get here so fast?"

Donna turned and smiled. "Oh, hi Mike. Want me to get you something?"

"Did you take the stairs?" he asked, making a quick calculation in his head. "'Cause I don't think anyone wearing those shoes should be walking that fast."

Donna raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong with my shoes?"

"No no no! I just… How did you get here so fast?"

The corner of her mouth quirked upwards. "I took the express route, Mike."

The three men in between them stirred restlessly. "Hey, you wanna just go to the back?" the guy in the middle asked her.

Donna turned the full force of her gaze upon him and said nothing.

"Or… _I_ could go to the back," the man said, moving out from behind her. The other two shared a bewildered glance before trailing after him.

"That was amazing," Mike said, moving to stand next to her.

"Please, Mike," Donna said with a roll of her eyes. "I'm _always_ amazing." She turned to give her order to the hot dog vendor.

Something as she turned caught his eye. "Hey," Mike said. "You've got some straw in your hair."

An ordinary person might not have noticed the way she stiffened momentarily before casually reaching up to brush her fingers through her hair; but Mike wasn't an ordinary person.

He filed the memory away for future use.


	2. Chapter 2

It happened again the following Monday.

"I'll be right there," Mike said into his phone. "I had to fix the chain on my bike, made me a little late."

"Didn't I tell you to get a car?" Harvey asked.

"If I did everything you told me, you wouldn't love me anymore," Mike said reasonably.

"He's got a point," he heard Donna say. "The last time I did what you told me to, you forgot my name for a week."

"That's ridiculous, Darlene, you've _never_ done what I told you," Harvey said.

"Anyway, I'm in the lobby now and—oh _crap_. I left my badge in my apartment." Mike came to a stop and tried not to fidget.

"I need those subpoenas, Mike," Harvey warned.

"Well, you'll have to come down here for them, then. The security guard doesn't like me."

"Maybe he'd like you if he got to know you."

"Are you suggesting I seduce the security guard?"

Harvey sounded amused. "It might do you some good. He's got better taste in suits than you."

"Oh, ha _ha_," Mike said. "Well, I hope you like your subpoenas late, because that's the only way I can serve them."

"Ouch," Donna said behind him. Mike whipped around and stared, wide-eyed, as she reached out and plucked the subpoenas from his hands. "That was painful."

"How did you…?" he said. He hadn't seen anyone come out the elevator.

"I took the express elevator," she said, rifling through the papers.

"There isn't any express elevator," he insisted.

"Not for rookies, there isn't," she said.

"Is that Donna?" Harvey asked. "Does she have my subpoenas?"

"Tell him I'll bring them right up," Donna said. She turned around and walked on by the security guard, who nodded cordially as she passed.

A piece of straw drifted to the ground after her.


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks passed before Mike noticed anything else.

"You have a very simple job," Harvey was saying as they walked back to the office. "Look nice, and be quiet. How do you fail at both of those things?"

"Is that an eagle?" Mike said, squinting up at the top of the building.

"See, this? This is not being quiet."

"I think that's an eagle," Mike insisted.

Harvey shaded his eyes and glanced upward. "So? I'm pretty sure they don't eat lawyers." He lowered his gaze. "Although with that suit, he'll think you're easy prey, so you might want to watch out."

"Eagles don't live here," Mike said. "It's _September_."

"Good, you know what month it is. Glad we got that out of the way."

"No, eagles _winter_ in New York," Mike said. "They don't come here in the summer. And they've never been spotted this far south, either."

Harvey sighed. "Then maybe this one got lost. Why does it matter?"

"Because I've never seen an eagle out here," Mike said. "It's cool."

Harvey rolled his eyes and turned to walk away. "Tell you what, if it drops a briefcase full of pot on us, then we'll keep it as a pet and train it to be a lawyer. Otherwise, I'm going to ignore it."

"That'd be badass," Mike said. "I bet it would make partner."

Harvey raised an eyebrow. "So it would outrank you?"

"It was a metaphor," Mike said. "'Cause, you know, that's what you did with me. Except for the pet part. …As far as I know—Is that Donna up there?"

Harvey shrugged. "Probably. Are we done yet? I wasn't finished lecturing you about the importance of being _quiet_."

"Why is Donna on top of the building?" Mike asked.

"How can you even see that far?" Harvey demanded.

"Don't you care at all about why your secretary is on top of the building?" Mike asked. "What if she falls off?"

"Mike, _look at me_," said Harvey. Mike tore his gaze away from where Donna was perched precariously on the ledge and forced himself to look at Harvey. "She'll be _fine_. She's _Donna_."

"Yeah, but—" Mike risked a glance back upward. There was no Donna in sight. "Wait, where'd she go?"

"Where did who go?" Donna asked.

Mike jumped about a foot in the air.

"Okay, seriously, _how did you do that_?" he asked. "And why are you covered in straw?"

"Do what?" she asked. "I can't reveal _all_ my secrets."

"He wants to know why you were on top of the building," Harvey told her.

"Oh, that." Donna shrugged. "I was taking the express route."

Mike decided that gesticulating wildly as he gaped would not get him any answers, and resolved to restrain himself. "_What_ express route?" he asked, gesticulating wildly. "I checked the floor plan, and there is _no_ express elevator."

"Of course there is," she said smoothly. "Maybe you just have to take a leap of faith to use it."

"Fascinating as your secrets are, I have work to do," Harvey interrupted. "Mike, get back to your cubicle and do something useful. Ways to annoy Louis aren't going to invent themselves."

Mike watched with a frown as Donna sauntered off. She had plenty of secrets, and normally he was glad to let her keep them, but this? This was not one he could let go.

He was going to uncover the truth.


	4. Chapter 4

Mike had a plan.

The following Friday he arrived to work an hour early and patrolled the perimeter, searching for any sign of straw.

He never said it was a _good_ plan.

All he found were two godawful musicians and a frighteningly forward homeless woman, all of whom immediately assaulted him in a horrifying mob, begging for money. He threw some loose change on the ground and ran from them as fast as he could.

After another ten minutes of fruitless searching he slumped down on a nearby bench between two bored tourists, hoping they would hide him from the cops he sensed around the corner. (Not that Mike was what you would call _notorious_, but the instinct to avoid the police was especially strong after his last brush with them.)

That was when he saw Donna stroll past and climb the side of the building.

Mike stared. _What is she doing?_ he wondered.

He could smell straw. He turned his gaze to the side and finally spotted it, a cart full of hay that someone must have pushed into position while he was busy watching Donna.

Wait, where was Donna?

He scanned the side of the building frantically, but she was nowhere to be found.

Damn.

Well, she would be back. He knew where her haystack was. For now, though, it was time to report to Harvey.

For a brief second, Mike entertained the idea of calling in sick today. Then he realized he'd be giving up a sick day to _watch a pile of hay_ and immediately left for work.

There would be time for that later.


	5. Chapter 5

Mike had a new plan.

That plan was _follow Donna_.

This was also not a good plan.

It wasn't that she was particularly hard to follow; it was that Donna was incredibly aware of her surroundings, stopping every few minutes to turn and gaze around her, like she knew someone was following her. Mike had to keep ducking into alleyways or blending in nearby crowds to avoid her. Once he even dove into a pile of leaves to avoid being seen. (It was decidedly uncomfortable in there, all cold and damp, and he could have sworn there was a dead body next to him.)

After a while, he realized he needed some sort of mobile cover, and decided to convince some people to walk with him. That was easier said than done, though, since all the people out and about that night were young and drunk, or old and stubborn. He thought about approaching a group of sober, burly-looking guys, but decided they would attract too much attention. It was the same with the group of kids who were obviously pickpockets.

But then he spotted several very attractive, scantily-clad women, and he knew what he had to do.

"Hey there," one of the girls said. "You lookin' for a good time?"

"Ladies," Mike said. "How much would it cost to have you follow me for a few blocks?"

The girls shared a glance. "Hundred fifty," said one after a pause.

"I just want you to walk with me," Mike said, with an anxious glance at Donna's retreating back.

"Yeah, but _where_?" another one asked. "You're cute enough you shouldn't have to pay girls to follow you around."

Mike thought back to the beggar woman from that morning and shuddered. "Yeah, normally I have to pay them to stop." He pulled some money out of his wallet. "One fifty—for you to _share_."

The lead girl grinned cheekily. "Okay, fine." She pocketed the cash. "Lead the way."

Mike resumed his pursuit, and thought to himself that while spending a hundred and fifty dollars to have some prostitutes escort you as you stalked your boss's secretary might be a really dumb decision, at least he'd—

No, there really wasn't an upside.

The girls were surprisingly effective at hiding him from Donna's gaze, actually. They had a tendency to swarm around him, attracting the notice of anyone nearby while simultaneously distracting them from the red-faced man at the center of it.

Mike really wished he'd worn something with a hood so he could hide his face.

It was worth it, though, when he finally spotted Donna ducking into an alley. He motioned for the girls to stop and peered around the corner.

Donna was climbing the fire escape.

And she was _amazing_ at it. She ran up the wall and leaped higher than Mike thought possible, reaching hand over hand to haul herself up the metal rungs and over the railing, before turning to crouch on the top of the structure. It was almost artful; Mike considered breaking cover just to applaud her.

Then she leaped off the top of the building and landed in the haystack on the other side of the chain link fence blocking the alley. Mike could only gape as she emerged, completely unharmed, straw tangled in her hair, and trotted off out the other side.

_Where did that haystack come from?_ he wondered.

"Uhh, ladies, I think we're done here," he said, returning to where his escorts where waiting.

Where they were supposed to be waiting, at any rate. A quick look around revealed the girls to be entertaining some men who, to Mike's trained eyes, were obviously cops.

Oh well.


	6. Chapter 6

"_Hay_, Donna," Mike said the following Monday. "I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch with me."

Donna smiled without looking away from the computer screen. "Aww, you want to take advantage of my discounts?"

"You got me," Mike said. "The gas station food's getting really expensive without it."

"Oh, just for that, you're paying," she told him.

He watched her closely as they walked to the elevator.

"No need to stare, Mike," Donna said. "You're allowed to gawk. It's only natural when I'm here."

Mike pressed the down button. "Geeze, this elevator is _so slow_. I just can't stand it. Are you sure you're okay with _waiting_ for it?" The elevator doors slid open.

Donna stepped inside and pressed the button. "You could always take the stairs."

He slid inside before the doors closed on him. "I guess I'm just really hungry. I mean, it's not like I _climbed a building_ this morning, but I've been working all day and I'm about ready to _hit the hay_, you know what I mean?"

"I know everything," Donna said. "Also, you are the least subtle person I've ever met. How do you pretend to be from Harvard when you're this bad at lying?"

"I'm not lying," he pointed out. "I'm _needling_. It's dropping hints."

"Well, you can drop the act. I get it. You saw me."

"Really?" he asked, disappointed. "I had the whole thing planned out. I spent all weekend coming up with puns. I was gonna give you a print of _Haystacks_, too."

"Oh, well in that case you can keep it up a while longer," she said, then frowned. "Wait, which one?"

"Guess you'll never find out," he said, leaning against the wall. "But I might be persuaded to part with it if you show me how you did it."

Donna laughed, outright guffawed, and damn near chortled. "For a _print_?"

"Does Harvey know?" Mike insisted. "That you're an alien?"

"Does Harvey know how much you paid for those prostitutes?"

"Sure," Mike said easily. "He was the one who recommended them."

"I guess the real question is, does your _girlfriend_ know?"

"I'd hate it if she found out," Mike admitted. "I might have to throw myself off a building if she did. Too bad I'd never survive that." The elevator came to a stop and dinged as the doors opened.

Donna smiled. "All right," she said, and pressed the button for the top floor before Louis could get on. "Let's go."

Mike grinned to cover his sudden flash of panic. "Wha—right now?"

She nodded. "Right now." There was a wicked gleam in her eyes. "Let's see you jump off a building."


	7. Chapter 7

"Are we even allowed to be up here?" Mike asked. He had to shout to be heard over the wind. He hoped Donna couldn't hear the quaver in his voice.

"I am," Donna said. "You'd probably better jump before someone catches you."

"You don't come all the way up here, do you?" Mike stalled. "It still takes a minute to get here from Harvey's office."

Donna shook her head. "I usually just go out Harvey's window."

"I wondered why it had a latch," Mike muttered. He inched toward a tiny outcropping on the ledge. "I just… jump off?"

Donna nodded. "Into the hay."

"That's ridiculous," Mike insisted. "A fall from this height would kill you."

"Not if you land in the hay," Donna said, exasperated. She pushed him toward the edge.

"Hay isn't exactly soft," Mike said, speaking rapidly. "It's, it's brittle, and sharp, and it'll hurt—it'll be just like hitting the concrete, only, only _worse_, because concrete's kind of flexible, and I might just break my legs but hay or straw or whatever it is isn't going to cushion the landing it'll just stab me and be painful except I'll be dead and it'll hurt and _oh God_ there's the edge." Mike dug in his heels and clung to Donna. "I don't think I can do this."

"Sure you can," she said brightly. "Just jump off, and try not to die."

He glanced over the edge. Hundreds of feet below, the cars crawled like ants. A tiny yellow dot marked the haystack. Mike's stomach churned.

"Oh God, I'm gonna be sick."

"Mike," Donna said softly. "Let go."

"I can't," he said, now in the full grip of panic. "I can't I can't I can't I can't I can't. I can't."

"Mike," Donna said more firmly. "Let _go_."

He raised one foot to take a step forward and froze, balanced precariously on the edge, the entire world below him.

"Mike," said Donna. "Let go of _me_."

He took a step backward and released her, collapsing on the roof. "I can't," he whispered.

She smiled sadly at him. "It's okay," she said. "Really." She walked to the edge. "It just takes a leap of faith."

And she flew.


	8. Chapter 8

"Where have you been?" Harvey asked at the end of the day.

Mike jerked out of his reverie. "Um, I was just thinking."

"Did it hurt?" Harvey asked.

Mike shrugged. "I dunno."

Harvey stared. "Oh God, something's wrong," he said. "I'm leaving."

"What?" Mike said. "You're not even going to _ask_?"

"My policy is not caring, Mike, and it's served me well. I have plans tonight, and they do not include listening to you sort through your petty problems."

Mike stood and ran after him. "Come on, you want to know."

"No, I really don't," Harvey said firmly. He stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button. The doors opened and Harvey stepped inside. "Remember when I said part of your job is staying quiet? This is one of those times." The doors started to close.

Mike reached out a hand to stop them. "Did you know Donna is an alien?" he asked.

Harvey shrugged. "I don't know anything, Mike. That's Donna's job." He pressed the button for the first floor.

"Aren't you the least bit curious how she can jump off a building?" Mike insisted, blocking the doors again.

"No," Harvey said. "That would involve caring." He gently shoved Mike out of the way and pressed the button again.

"You're not even a little bit curious?" Mike asked, incredulous.

"That's the thing you don't seem to get," Harvey said as the doors slid shut. "I'm really not."


	9. Chapter 9

Mike got home that night ready to collapse into the blissful realm of sleep. He walked to his bedroom, yawning, and had to stifle a yelp as he opened the door.

There was an eagle on Mike's bed.

It was utterly terrifying.

It was a majestic creature, to be sure, all golden brown and amber. But its talons were razor sharp, and its beak wicked and curved, and it seemed to be watching him with a murderous glint in its eye.

"Please don't disembowel me," Mike said, wishing he hadn't left the window open.

The eagle glared and spread its wings. Mike quickly backed away.

"Okay, you can have the bed," he said generously.

The bird glared murderously. Mike started to sweat.

"I'm just going to go call Animal Control…" he said in what he hoped were soothing tones. He reached for his phone.

The eagle opened its mouth and chirped.

Mike was not expecting that.

It was high-pitched, and whistley, and almost a little cute. And confusing. He'd been expecting the loud cry that eagles always seemed to have in the movies.

Maybe this one was broken.

He opened his phone and hesitated before dialing. "You didn't happen to bring a briefcase full of pot, did you?" he asked.


	10. Chapter 10

The elevators were broken.

That would not have been much of a problem if it hadn't meant that Mike had to walk up thirty flights of stairs. By the time he got to his cubicle he was sweaty and exhausted.

He had just put in his headphones when the fire alarm rang.

"Seriously?" he said. The other associates gathered up whatever papers they'd been working on and started to file out. Mike grumbled and followed suit.

It was the thought of shuffling _down_ those thirty flights of stairs, only to struggle back up again, that drove him over the edge. By the time Mike entered the stairwell he had already made up his mind; he practically flew up the stairs to the roof.

Donna was waiting.

Mike was very proud when his jaw didn't drop. "Did _you_ pull the fire alarm?"

Donna placed a hand to her heart. "Me? Why would I ever do that?"

He glanced around. "How did you get here so fast?"

"I climbed out Harvey's window," she said matter-of-factly.

"In those shoes?"

"Watch it, or when we get to the climbing lessons I'm going to make _you_ wear them."

Mike swallowed nervously. "Climbing lessons?"

"What, did you think you'd learn how to fall off a building and we'd leave it at that?" Donna asked, amused.

"I still have to do the falling part."

"Don't worry, it's not that hard," she said. "And then we can get to the part where you kill people."

"Don't I need a license for that?" Mike asked.

She smiled. "Quit stalling and jump already."

He stepped cautiously to the edge and looked down. They were dizzyingly high; the haystack was a tiny yellow dot below them.

"Does Harvey know?" Mike stalled. "About all this?"

"He knows as much as he needs to," said Donna. "Plausible deniability and all."

"Why is that necessary?"

"I _did_ say we'd be killing people."

Mike stared. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."

Donna gave him a playful shove. He stumbled forward and almost lost his balance.

"Jesus, are you trying to kill me?"

"I'm trying to make you stop thinking about it," she told him. "Stop stalling and just _jump_."

Mike peered out over the edge again. Below, the tiny dots of cars and people swirled past, heedless of the miracle that was about to take place above them. Overhead, an eagle soared, out of place in a city that never saw them.

He took a deep breath and grinned at Donna. "Leap of faith, right?" He stepped over the edge.

And he flew.


End file.
